This is a great Australia itinerary - I was just going to do Perth, but got a bit sidetracked!

I’ve spent a great deal of time in Australia and I’ve kept this trip to a few weeks that allows you to visit Perth, Melbourne (including a drive along the Great Ocean Road to Adelaide), a brief stop in Adelaide before heading to Sydney. You can do the Great Ocean Road in less time, but personally I think it is such a beautiful place, why rush! I’ve visited myself in March/April time and it’s my favourite time of year. The weather isn’t too hot and the crowds aren’t as bad as in summer.

Flights are with Etihad or in some cases code share with Virgin Australia. I've flown with Etihad to Australia, Bali amd Nepal to name a few and I love the airline. I've also flown business class and if you book these flights contact Etihad and ask to be put forward for the their 'bid to upgrade' option and if they have seats spare they will contact you and offer you the opportunity to put in a bid for business class. There is a minimum lowest bid which I can't remember but each time I've been successful using the lowest bid. You can also so just one leg you don't have to upgrade all legs. I'm sat here with a lovely Etihad business class blanket that reminded me. The free Spa at Abu Dhabi is amazing with free treatments too.

27th MarchFly from Manchester to Perth with Etihad airways, with a short stop in Dubai.

28th March-2nd AprilArrive into Perth. You have 5 nights in Perth (I’ve allowed extra time in Perth over the other destinations due to the jet lag you’ll likely to be suffering) and I’ve picked a great hostel. Perth can be really expensive and I’ve stayed in this hostel, but it has become pretty well known, with consistent good feedback and is currently No1 on Tripadvisor. Head over there and check out "Wickham Backpackers". Rooms have shared bathrooms, but they are clean and well maintained so do not worry about the term ‘hostel’. There is also lots of ‘extras’ included in this hostel, such as laundry, pasta, breakfast all included in the price. You will save a fair bit of money and I really recommend this hostel. You can check it out by visiting TripAdvisor . 5 nights in Perth is a great amount of time to adjust to the jetlag and explore this cosmopolitan city. Some things I’d recommend doing is taking the ferry over to Freemantle to explore the spooky prison, similarly you can also visit Rottnest Island which is easily accessible from Perth. If you get bored of city life, head out for a day or couple of days to Margaret River, explore the caves and many vineyards [hic]!

2nd April – 6th AprilTake the short-ish (4 hour flight) over to Melbourne. You will stay in Melbourne for 4 nights. You could stay longer, depending on how much you like cities, and Melbourne is a great city. Take in a sports events if you can one, or a concert, or just enjoy a relaxing cruise on the Yarra River. Of course, you can look at trips from Melbourne such as Phillip Island or some of the many nearby beaches, but this trip will get you out of Melbourne heading to the Great Ocean Road where you will see many beaches and coastal views.

You’ll stay in Melbourne for 4 nights at City Tempo, a great near 5 star rating on Tripadvisor with great reviews. This studio apartment is in a central location and is a great base to explore.

6th AprilPick up the hire care today in Melbourne (not the cheapest but not the most costly car, you can pay extra to upgrade if needed). You can take the Sorronto Ferry to Queenscliff and pick up the Great Ocean Road, which I’ve done, or you can just go straight towards Geelong and pick up the GOR this way. I’ve done both, and it all depends on time and how fussed you are on taking a ferry. There is plenty to do, such as visiting the surfing towns of Torquay and Bells Beach (if you are lucky you may catch the Ripcurl surfing competition as we did). Finish your day in Lorne, where you can relax on the beach in this lovely place I've picked - Chatby Lane B&B Apartments, another fantastic rated apartment.

7th AprilMake your way from Lorne to Apollo Bay, spending time at Otway National Park where you could easily spend a day (or longer). Waterfalls and tree top walks are attractions here. End the day in Apollo Bay, a quiet fishing village. You’ll stay in Big4 Holiday Park, which has great reviews. The cabin does not have ensuite, but for a little extra you can upgrade to a better cabin if you wish.

8th AprilBack on the Great Ocean Road, you can stop to take in the many sights, including looking for Koala Bears. It’s a 2 ½ hour drive to Port Fairy, but a great spot en-route for lunch is Warrnambool. Don’t forget the 12 Apostles too which you will also pass as well as Loch Ard Gorge and London Bridge. You’ll overnight at Port Fairy. I stayed at the YHA, but I wasn’t able to check prices online. Instead I’ve chosen the Belfast Holiday Cabins for 1 night which have good reviews too.

9th April You’ll drive today to Robe, via the gorgeous Mount Gambier. It’s a fantastic place to visit and you could rejig this itinerary so you do an overnight here, but I’d also recommend the lovely village of Robe instead, stopping at Mount Gambier en route. In Robe, there is a fantastic chilled out place to eat called ‘Coconut Robe’ which I’d suggest stopping at. It's very budget friendly with a quirky menu. Overnight at the Guichen Motor Inn. I’ve stayed here myself, it is basic but clean and staff are friendly. It also has a pool and free parking.

10th AprilYou’ll drive to Adelaide today. There are a couple of options, either on the highway, crossing the Murray River or cross the Murray on the car ferry at Wellington and drive through the Langhorne Creek wine area and Adelaide Hills. Arriving into Adelaide, you’ll return the hire car and stay in the city centre for just 1 night at the Grand Chancery Court. You could extend this, but I wasn’t all that impressed with Adelaide (just my opinion).

11th April-14th AprilYou’ll fly from Adelaide to Sydney. To keep the cost down I’ve based you in Sydney for just 3 nights. This should be enough time to visit attractions such as the Sydney Harbour Bridge, the Opera House and catch the ferry over to Manley. In Sydney you’ll stay in the Russell Hotel in ‘The Rocks’ one of my favourite locations in Sydney to stay as it is so close to the tourist sights. Rooms have a shared bathroom, but if you are after similar in the Rocks with a private bathroom check out the YHA Sydney Harbour which I stayed in on New Years Eve, private ensuite rooms with views of the Opera House, literally about 30 steps from the Shangri-La for significantly less (it’s around £260 for 3 nights if you want this as an alternative)! It was also great to have fantastic kitchen facilities to use. I did however spend a fair bit of time in the Russell and it is great place for food and drink, and rooms are great value too. You also get breakfast.

14th April – Fly home!**Holiday Breakdown**

Flights (Manchester>Perth>Melbourne>Adelaide>Sydney>Melbourne>Manchester £1270/£635pp @ expedia.com (note you can’t fly straight from Sydney to UK, the price doubles, so you have to go Sydney to Melbourne to Manchester). I did try a variety of dates, but I gave up in the end trying to avoid stopping in Melbourne again!

Total £2207.14/£1103.57ppIf you go through Topcashback and you manage to get Venere to track (even with use of a code) at 13% this could easily knock around £100 off this price. I have had recent transactions track with the code so you could be lucky!

You can adjust this itinerary, but I think this works well. I've checked all hotel ratings and got the cheapest price for all them and hunted down codes too.

Mega heat for the effort and detail you've provided for this deal. A great price and wonderful holiday for anyone lucky enough to take up the offer. Heat added.

30th Oct 2015

Fantastic effort OP, many thanks.

Unfortunately I will have to wait until 2017 to do this but will use this itinerary.

30th Oct 2015

Good effort thanks

30th Oct 2015

Hot, hot, hot!

Great itinerary.

I did the great ocean road earlier this year stopping at most of the same towns you've mentioned. Also worth a visit to Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet, where Round The Twist was filmed.

When in Sydney, Manley ferry is a must as you've stated, and the Rocks are great. If you want a great night view, get yourself up to the bar on the top floor of the Shangri-La, not cheap but a great view and a great place for a drink, there's also an incredible restaurant.

30th Oct 2015

Incredible work!

This deal gives you great bang for your buck, heat added!

I've seen flights to Sydney cost this return so to get everything included for it is just brilliant!

Original Poster30th Oct 2015

Orbdemon

Hot, hot, hot!Great itinerary. I did the great ocean road earlier this … Hot, hot, hot!Great itinerary. I did the great ocean road earlier this year stopping at most of the same towns you've mentioned. Also worth a visit to Split Point Lighthouse in Aireys Inlet, where Round The Twist was filmed.When in Sydney, Manley ferry is a must as you've stated, and the Rocks are great. If you want a great night view, get yourself up to the bar on the top floor of the Shangri-La, not cheap but a great view and a great place for a drink, there's also an incredible restaurant.

Oh I forgot about mentioning that! Yes, I loved round the twist 'have you ever, ever felt like this'..... I was like an excited kid but it didn't really look like I remembered it lol.

Forget the Shangri-La if you can stay at the YHA next door they have a fantastic roof top bar and sitting area. Cook your own food in their fantastic kitchen, buy your own drink and sit out on the rooftop for free.

Edited by: "rachelandgromit" 30th Oct 2015

30th Oct 2015

with spending money could be a 5k holiday!

Original Poster30th Oct 2015

leitchyleck

with spending money could be a 5k holiday!

Depending on what you want to see and do I'd say not. Even at the peak time such as New Year I never spent that in double the time of this trip (for two of us) and that was when accommodation prices were premium and including Nye on a boat in the harbour. If you choose to eat in fancy restaurants every night and spend money on tours and things that are expensive then it will add up, but there are plenty of things that are free, say in Sydney. You can do many things that don't cost anything and if you can find an Aldi then stock up as this will help keep costs down on food. Sydney especially can be expensive but when we went to Manley we found an Aldi and cooked for ourselves most nights. Like anywhere it can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it.

Airbnb is a great option which we have also used a few times, more so during December and January when accommodation prices were through the roof.

Edited by: "rachelandgromit" 30th Oct 2015

30th Oct 2015

you sir/ madam are a credit to hotukdeals

30th Oct 2015

rachelandgromit

Depending on what you want to see and do I'd say not. Even at the peak … Depending on what you want to see and do I'd say not. Even at the peak time such as New Year I never spent that in double the time of this trip (for two of us) and that was when accommodation prices were premium and including Nye on a boat in the harbour. If you choose to eat in fancy restaurants every night and spend money on tours and things that are expensive then it will add up, but there are plenty of things that are free, say in Sydney. You can do many things that don't cost anything and if you can find an Aldi then stock up as this will help keep costs down on food. Sydney especially can be expensive but when we went to Manley we found an Aldi and cooked for ourselves most nights. Like anywhere it can be as cheap or as expensive as you make it.Airbnb is a great option which we have also used a few times, more so during December and January when accommodation prices were through the roof.

yes I agree with you and heat added for your time n effort.

Original Poster30th Oct 2015

76zedfour

you sir/ madam are a credit to hotukdeals

Thank you, I'm a madam but you can call me a Lady! ;-)

30th Oct 2015

Hot for the effort.

30th Oct 2015

great effort

30th Oct 2015

heat for the effort. The total price is kept nice and low by using reasonably priced accommodation. Melbourne is easily the nicest of the Australian cities but not the warmest as the southerly winds blow very strong. I am a lover of small town Oz rather than the big cities so nice to see the road trip. Although as a rule i always have a 2 night minimum stay in any accomodation I book. For a first holiday to Oz I would try and incorporate a road trip from Melbourne either north to the great barrier, or south to Byron Bay as loads to see and do and the weather is guaranteed to be great ( this trip has Perth for the guaranteed good weather )

30th Oct 2015

Hats off just for the time you spend and sharing ...in detail.

30th Oct 2015

"a road trip north to great barrier reef" from Melbourne to Brisbane is 1000 miles!

30th Oct 2015

In Melbourne don't forget to use the free historic tram to get around the city, and a side trip on the Great Ocean Road trip would be to overnight at Victor Harbour after crossing the Murray, there is a Fairy Penguin colony and the nighttime parade is fun.

30th Oct 2015

Thanks for this, I've always wanted to do Oz and this has spurred me on to book!

30th Oct 2015

Hey OP what's this bid to upgrade? I have economy flights booked with Etihad - can I go to them and say let me bid you £££ for any spare business class seats? Thanks.

30th Oct 2015

I have done a similar trip, Brisbane, Cairns, Brisbane again, Gold Coast, Sydney, Perth. Over a 6 week period.

Loved it and would love to go again

Heat added for effort.

Edited by: "superted2008" 30th Oct 2015

Banned
30th Oct 2015

I wish I could do this

Original Poster30th Oct 2015

Ross81

Hey OP what's this bid to upgrade? I have economy flights booked with … Hey OP what's this bid to upgrade? I have economy flights booked with Etihad - can I go to them and say let me bid you £££ for any spare business class seats? Thanks.

Sorry for the delay, just on my lunch. No, you ask if they can put you down if they have spare seats in business to give you the opportunity to bid but you can't say "oh I'll give you £100". There is a minimum starting bid. I'd purely be going off memory but I think it was around £200 extra for the Manchester to Dubai leg but don't quote me. Preference is given to Etihad Guest Members so enrol for free on their programme.

It's quite good to do one leg especially if you have overnight flights or a long stop in Dubai where you can use the lounge. We did Economy on one leg where we were awake and watching movies etc and then business on another leg where we had nice treatments in Dubai lounge, a shower, good meal on board and then slept.

I have done a similar trip, Brisbane, Cairns, Brisbane again, Gold Coast, … I have done a similar trip, Brisbane, Cairns, Brisbane again, Gold Coast, Sydney, Perth. Over a 6 week period.Loved it and would love to go again Heat added for effort.

I love Australia, perhaps NZ a little more though. I can't say my favourites, perhaps the North because it is so different and Tasmania which I think is grossly underestimated. But Jervis Bay with Hyams Beach rated as 'worlds whitest sand' was pretty gorgeous as is Fraser which has sand highways which is pretty unique.

That's the chippy with the aquariums all inside isn't it, even in the toilet. We went here after Freemantle prison.

30th Oct 2015

Aye, that's the one

30th Oct 2015

Excellent deal.

30th Oct 2015

Question. On the internal flights will you get the same luggage allowance as on international leg, or will you get stung for hold luggage?

30th Oct 2015

what is it with all these flight, hotel, car deals, internal city trips? at the moment n hukd

personally if i was going back to oz, i'd pass on perth altogeather its alright but on a short holiday unless you have family there it hasnt the attractions other places have, sydney, the east coast and the middle of australia would be the better trip, and when i lived in manly i remember it being absolutely freezing in April (not compared to uk cold though)

Great post - Thanks and Kudos for the effort with the itinerary. Some great pointers there which I will certainly use for a future trip I am planning. Cheers!

30th Oct 2015

LADY! GOOD EFFORT, FAIR PLAY.

Original Poster30th Oct 2015

whatyadoinsucka

what is it with all these flight, hotel, car deals, internal city trips? … what is it with all these flight, hotel, car deals, internal city trips? at the moment n hukdpersonally if i was going back to oz, i'd pass on perth altogeather its alright but on a short holiday unless you have family there it hasnt the attractions other places have, sydney, the east coast and the middle of australia would be the better trip, and when i lived in manly i remember it being absolutely freezing in April (not compared to uk cold though)i'm considering posting my trip to st lucia/barbados with manchester return flights, internal liat flight, 10 night hotels, beach hammocks and two catamaran trips including snorkelling reefs and sunken wrecks, surfing soup bowl and lounging in a palm tree garden hammock, friday night fish fry, walking/climbing the pitons, and swimming with hawksbill Turtles, all in £1075 per person ;0)

You should post that trip if it is a hot deal, it's good to have variety on here.

Whilst Perth may not have the attractions of other cities, head our of Perth and explore areas such as Margaret River and Esperance, it's really good to go to the west.

I've been Australia in the peak and also in April, May June (Melbourne) and in March and April have always been blesses with good weather comparable to our summer.

Original Poster30th Oct 2015

bojangles

21 hours in economy.F that.

Upgrade then or buy business class. Etihad is a great airline, even I'm Economy.

Original Poster30th Oct 2015

royden

Question. On the internal flights will you get the same luggage … Question. On the internal flights will you get the same luggage allowance as on international leg, or will you get stung for hold luggage?

Yes you will get luggage allowance. It's Etihad code share with Virgin Australia and you will get 23kg. Details

So many one night stays sounds like a pretty stressful experience, especially if you get delayed. If I can't relax on a holiday, it's not a holiday but kudos for the effort and I guess it would suit some people.

Original Poster30th Oct 2015

sotomonkey

So many one night stays sounds like a pretty stressful experience, … So many one night stays sounds like a pretty stressful experience, especially if you get delayed. If I can't relax on a holiday, it's not a holiday but kudos for the effort and I guess it would suit some people.

The one night stays are when you are on the Great Ocean Road. You can spend extra in each place but this is a leisurely itinerary and not much driving in between places. I guess it depends on how much time you can have.